Triumphs of Grace: Part 2

Grace vs. Sin

Think of a lifetime of sin. Think of the sins of all humanity. What an overwhelming weight that drags mankind down to depths unknown! I speak of humanity, for it was with humanity that sin started. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) It started with one man, but did not stop there, for all are sinners.

So how are we to receive grace? By one Man! In the fifth chapter of Romans, a comparison is made between the work of Adam that introduced sin into the world and the work of Christ in bringing grace into the world. Death, like a plague, spreads to all it touches, leaving us totally defeated by our interaction with sin. But a Savior comes and provides life! Just as we chose to sin against our God, we must choose to accept the gift He offers. That gracious gift is His only Son. Death reigned by sin, but righteousness reigns in life by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who decides to receive the gift will also enjoy the defeat of sin & death, and share in the victory over these foes and the power they once had in the individual’s life.

As we continue into Romans 6, we find that the battle with sin does not stop at conversion, but continues on into the Christian life. “If grace wins, then I can just let grace keep ‘winning’ while I sin all I want.” We find this thought process is a lethal error. A choice is presented: be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. If we have accepted the death of Christ in dealing with the penalty of our sin, why do we not accept the new life given in the resurrection of Christ to triumph in our daily struggle against the power of sin? Grace continues to conquer sin in our lives by Jesus Christ, but now it is by His life!